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Drone strikes, hover cars: $4bn game’s wild 2025 predictions

Global war, human enhancement and flying cars were once the stuff of a blockbuster video game set in futuristic 2025. Now, the real world has caught up.

Carly WrightCarly Wright
July 27, 2025 - 9:48AM
news.com.au
Rewind to 2012 - Gangnam style had just dropped, Obama won his second term, social media had erupted with predictions that the world was going to end, and Call of Duty: Black Ops II has gamers time-travelling to the oh-so-distant 2025. Well here we are — welcome to the future. Picture: YouTube
1/28Rewind to 2012 - Gangnam style had just dropped, Obama won his second term, social media had erupted with predictions that the world was going to end, and Call of Duty: Black Ops II has gamers time-travelling to the oh-so-distant 2025. Well here we are — welcome to the future. Picture: YouTube
Back then, Treyarch (developer) and Activision’s (publisher) version of 2025 was filled with drones, neon cities, AI-driven vehicles and a political system off the rails. So how much did they get right? Picture: YouTube
2/28Back then, Treyarch (developer) and Activision’s (publisher) version of 2025 was filled with drones, neon cities, AI-driven vehicles and a political system off the rails. So how much did they get right? Picture: YouTube
Black Ops II, the ninth instalment in the Call of Duty series released in 2012, had players jumping between The Cold War flashbacks and a war-ravaged version of the year we’re currently living in. It was playable on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, with later versions for Wii U, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Picture: COD Wiki
3/28Black Ops II, the ninth instalment in the Call of Duty series released in 2012, had players jumping between The Cold War flashbacks and a war-ravaged version of the year we’re currently living in. It was playable on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, with later versions for Wii U, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Picture: COD Wiki
It grossed over $US2.75 billion ($A4.1b) worldwide, with first-day sales alone exceeding $US500 million ($A800m), making it one of the best-selling titles in the franchise. Picture: COD Wiki
4/28It grossed over $US2.75 billion ($A4.1b) worldwide, with first-day sales alone exceeding $US500 million ($A800m), making it one of the best-selling titles in the franchise. Picture: COD Wiki
While the game was a little too sci-fi-heavy to be considered a truly realistic depiction, some of its forecasts did hit eerily close to home. Picture: YouTube
5/28While the game was a little too sci-fi-heavy to be considered a truly realistic depiction, some of its forecasts did hit eerily close to home. Picture: YouTube
Some of these predictions included The European Union dissolving - looking at you Brexit - and the first US female president. While the latter hasn’t happened yet, the political stage has certainly changed since Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris ran. Picture: YouTube
6/28Some of these predictions included The European Union dissolving - looking at you Brexit - and the first US female president. While the latter hasn’t happened yet, the political stage has certainly changed since Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris ran. Picture: YouTube
The game also anticipated global instability, technological warfare and fractured alliances. Its depictions of military drone strikes and autonomous weapons systems in particular echo real-world conflict happening now. Picture: COD Wiki
7/28The game also anticipated global instability, technological warfare and fractured alliances. Its depictions of military drone strikes and autonomous weapons systems in particular echo real-world conflict happening now. Picture: COD Wiki
Where the game went a bit off course was its futuristic take on American suburbia. OG fans will remember the original Nuketown (2010 -Call of Duty: Black Ops debut), a chaotic playground resembling a 1950s nuclear test site complete with mannequin families. Picture: YouTube
8/28Where the game went a bit off course was its futuristic take on American suburbia. OG fans will remember the original Nuketown (2010 -Call of Duty: Black Ops debut), a chaotic playground resembling a 1950s nuclear test site complete with mannequin families. Picture: YouTube
Fast forward to Nuketown 2025, and you’re transported to a suburb straight out of a Black Mirror episode. Anti-gravity hover cars levitated in driveways (although the Tesla Roadster might not be far off), and everything glowed - including house numbers and signs, and billboards were replaced with holograms. We all watch Blade Runner in school right? Picture: COD Wiki
9/28Fast forward to Nuketown 2025, and you’re transported to a suburb straight out of a Black Mirror episode. Anti-gravity hover cars levitated in driveways (although the Tesla Roadster might not be far off), and everything glowed - including house numbers and signs, and billboards were replaced with holograms. We all watch Blade Runner in school right? Picture: COD Wiki
The game’s most talked-about feature was its multiplayer map called Aftermath, arguably the best in the franchise, which updated in real time, tracking kills and team scores. With everyone live-streaming their lives nowadays and receiving instant news alerts, what once felt groundbreaking is now just another Tuesday. Picture: COD Wiki
10/28The game’s most talked-about feature was its multiplayer map called Aftermath, arguably the best in the franchise, which updated in real time, tracking kills and team scores. With everyone live-streaming their lives nowadays and receiving instant news alerts, what once felt groundbreaking is now just another Tuesday. Picture: COD Wiki
But what made Nuketown 2025 so iconic, was this mash of vintage charm and tomorrow’s tech. Think - the family dog is chasing the mailman again, but the dog’s name is Ruffbot 5000 and he’s AI. Picture: YouTube
11/28But what made Nuketown 2025 so iconic, was this mash of vintage charm and tomorrow’s tech. Think - the family dog is chasing the mailman again, but the dog’s name is Ruffbot 5000 and he’s AI. Picture: YouTube
Black Ops II gave us a snapshot of 2025, but it’s far from the only game to imagine the near or distant future. Some got closer to reality, while others pushed the boundaries of sci-fi even further. Picture: Supplied
12/28Black Ops II gave us a snapshot of 2025, but it’s far from the only game to imagine the near or distant future. Some got closer to reality, while others pushed the boundaries of sci-fi even further. Picture: Supplied
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011) set just a few years ahead in 2016–2017, painted a world on the edge of global war. Picture: YouTube
13/28Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011) set just a few years ahead in 2016–2017, painted a world on the edge of global war. Picture: YouTube
These geopolitical tensions exist today, but thankfully the apocalyptic levels of destruction have remained in the realm of fiction for now. Picture: YouTube
14/28These geopolitical tensions exist today, but thankfully the apocalyptic levels of destruction have remained in the realm of fiction for now. Picture: YouTube
In Call of Duty: Strike Team (2013), the action takes place in 2020. The mobile-only game mixed traditional warfare with technological enhancements like drones and exoskeletons - a nod to ongoing military innovations. Picture: YouTube
15/28In Call of Duty: Strike Team (2013), the action takes place in 2020. The mobile-only game mixed traditional warfare with technological enhancements like drones and exoskeletons - a nod to ongoing military innovations. Picture: YouTube
Crysis 2 (2011) sets its story in 2023, but Crytek (developer) was a little more ambitious with his vision than COD, portraying dystopian New York overrun by biotechnology, nanotech and a giant alien race. Picture: Facebook
16/28Crysis 2 (2011) sets its story in 2023, but Crytek (developer) was a little more ambitious with his vision than COD, portraying dystopian New York overrun by biotechnology, nanotech and a giant alien race. Picture: Facebook
You’d probably only stumble upon this kind of universe at Area 51. Picture: Reddit
17/28You’d probably only stumble upon this kind of universe at Area 51. Picture: Reddit
Jumping a bit further ahead, titles like Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011) and Homefront (2011) (both set in 2027) tackled hot topics being debated today; the ethics of human enhancement and cybernetic upgrades. Picture: Xbox
18/28Jumping a bit further ahead, titles like Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011) and Homefront (2011) (both set in 2027) tackled hot topics being debated today; the ethics of human enhancement and cybernetic upgrades. Picture: Xbox
RoboCop: Rogue City (2023), set in 2028, delivered an early warning about a crime-plagued Detroit and a tough future for law enforcement. Picture: Steam
19/28RoboCop: Rogue City (2023), set in 2028, delivered an early warning about a crime-plagued Detroit and a tough future for law enforcement. Picture: Steam
The city has faced its share of challenges - money, population decline, and rising crime - and the game offers a satirical look at a world where technology and corporate power come before public safety. Picture: Reddit
20/28The city has faced its share of challenges - money, population decline, and rising crime - and the game offers a satirical look at a world where technology and corporate power come before public safety. Picture: Reddit
Then there are games like Watch Dogs: Legion, set 2026–2030, which explored an AI-driven society and dove into the chilling reality of hacking. Picture: Reddit
21/28Then there are games like Watch Dogs: Legion, set 2026–2030, which explored an AI-driven society and dove into the chilling reality of hacking. Picture: Reddit
Further out, Detroit: Become Human (2018), set in 2038, and Crysis 3 (2013), set in 2047, gave us androids and augmented soldiers questioning what it means to be human. We love a robot identity crisis. Picture: YouTube
22/28Further out, Detroit: Become Human (2018), set in 2038, and Crysis 3 (2013), set in 2047, gave us androids and augmented soldiers questioning what it means to be human. We love a robot identity crisis. Picture: YouTube
Berlin’s cyberpunk thriller State of Mind (2018), set in 2048 and the iconic Deus Ex (2000), set in 2052, dove into dystopian futures where identity and freedom are questioned due to powerful governments controlling human minds. Picture: YouTube/MobyGames
23/28Berlin’s cyberpunk thriller State of Mind (2018), set in 2048 and the iconic Deus Ex (2000), set in 2052, dove into dystopian futures where identity and freedom are questioned due to powerful governments controlling human minds. Picture: YouTube/MobyGames
Basically when Peeta from The Hunger Games gets captured by The Capitol, but with a side of high-tech paranoia. Picture: YouTube
24/28Basically when Peeta from The Hunger Games gets captured by The Capitol, but with a side of high-tech paranoia. Picture: YouTube
If you want to take a leap to the very distant future where sprawling interstellar empires are the norm, Halo: Reach (2010), set in 2552, is your jam. Picture: YouTube
25/28If you want to take a leap to the very distant future where sprawling interstellar empires are the norm, Halo: Reach (2010), set in 2552, is your jam. Picture: YouTube
Halo is one of the highest-grossing franchises of all time, grossing over $US10 billion ($A15.2b). It’s clear that the wildly unrealistic adventures really do sell. Picture: YouTube
26/28Halo is one of the highest-grossing franchises of all time, grossing over $US10 billion ($A15.2b). It’s clear that the wildly unrealistic adventures really do sell. Picture: YouTube
And if you enjoyed watching Justin Timberlake race against the clock in the film In Time and wished you could hit the brakes on time itself, then Syndicate (2012), set in 2069, is right up your alley. Picture: Reddit
27/28And if you enjoyed watching Justin Timberlake race against the clock in the film In Time and wished you could hit the brakes on time itself, then Syndicate (2012), set in 2069, is right up your alley. Picture: Reddit
Even though many of these games are only reality in our dreams, what unites them is a shared message. As we live through 2025, these games remind us to tread carefully, whether that’s navigating a robot-run city or trying not to get short-circuited by all the tech taking over. Picture: Supplied
28/28Even though many of these games are only reality in our dreams, what unites them is a shared message. As we live through 2025, these games remind us to tread carefully, whether that’s navigating a robot-run city or trying not to get short-circuited by all the tech taking over. Picture: Supplied
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Original URL: https://www.themercury.com.au/technology/home-entertainment/drone-strikes-hover-cars-4bn-games-wild-2025-predictions/image-gallery/f10161ec783110d540dcb1f297e58495